Meet Our Team

Emi Yamasaki McLaughlin is a Washington State Licensed Midwife (LM). She earned her Master's in Midwifery from Bastyr University in 2012. Emi is a professional member of the Midwives' Association of Washington State.
Emi is committed to building a more just and equitable system around birth. She strives to make midwifery care more accessible to communities of color, teens, LGBTQIA folks, and other marginalized identities by ensuring her clients feel safe, seen, and supported while under her care. Emi also works passionately to see these identities reflected in midwifery and birth worker professions through preceptorships and community activism.
Her Master's thesis focused on increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of direct-entry midwives.
When she's not supporting birthing people, Emi enjoys karaoke, baking and snuggling her two cats.
Emi is committed to building a more just and equitable system around birth. She strives to make midwifery care more accessible to communities of color, teens, LGBTQIA folks, and other marginalized identities by ensuring her clients feel safe, seen, and supported while under her care. Emi also works passionately to see these identities reflected in midwifery and birth worker professions through preceptorships and community activism.
Her Master's thesis focused on increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of direct-entry midwives.
When she's not supporting birthing people, Emi enjoys karaoke, baking and snuggling her two cats.

Binta Niang is a Washington State Licensed Midwife (LM). She is also a West African descendent from Mali, and a mother to a toddler daughter.
She earned her Master's degree in Midwifery at the Bastyr University in Washington, and has over 5 years of experience. In 2017, she presented her thesis- Syphilis Testing & Treatment in Antenatal Care: Providing Continuing Education for Midwives in Mali.
Binta is fluent in French and Bambara. She is grateful to be part of your care with the Journey Midwife Services team.
Binta believes every birthing person deserves kindness unconditionally; as well as safe, affordable and reliable care. Families seek care providers who bring with them their values, culture, customs, strengths and empowerment. Binta seeks to help the families explore opportunities to reach these goals.
In her copious free time, she enjoys date nights with her daughter, meal prep and sharing with friends and families.
She earned her Master's degree in Midwifery at the Bastyr University in Washington, and has over 5 years of experience. In 2017, she presented her thesis- Syphilis Testing & Treatment in Antenatal Care: Providing Continuing Education for Midwives in Mali.
Binta is fluent in French and Bambara. She is grateful to be part of your care with the Journey Midwife Services team.
Binta believes every birthing person deserves kindness unconditionally; as well as safe, affordable and reliable care. Families seek care providers who bring with them their values, culture, customs, strengths and empowerment. Binta seeks to help the families explore opportunities to reach these goals.
In her copious free time, she enjoys date nights with her daughter, meal prep and sharing with friends and families.

I’m Elizabeth. I’m a lactation professional (Indigenous Breastfeeding Counselor, Lactation & Postpartum Educator - Life After Baby, IBCLC candidate), a postpartum doula, a perinatal mental health advocate, a retired professional chef and eternal food justice advocate. I’m the mother of two sparkling human beings, the spouse of my high school sweetheart.
I’m a member of the urban Native American and Latinx diaspora, a proud descendent of the Anishinaabe people of Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians. My shift from seed-to-table cooking to birth and lactation work was born from my personal struggles through my first child’s first year. After battling birth trauma, low milk supply, a failure to thrive diagnose, a hidden tongue tie, triple feeding, barriers to care and ensuing postpartum mood disruptions, I realized that birthing people and their families deserve better. Humans are not meant to do this in isolation, or even in partnerships.
Part of my current personal journey is actively decolonizing my life, and I feel that restoring supportive community to families is a key part of that. Every time folks come together in collaboration and support, we create strong medicine and restore the connection and strength that our families need to thrive. I'm over the moon to join the team at Journey Midwives to provide Supportive Pregnancy Care and lactation support to the incredible birthing families in our community. This work weaves us back together, and I'm honored to be a thread in this beautiful tapestry of humanity.
I’m a member of the urban Native American and Latinx diaspora, a proud descendent of the Anishinaabe people of Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians. My shift from seed-to-table cooking to birth and lactation work was born from my personal struggles through my first child’s first year. After battling birth trauma, low milk supply, a failure to thrive diagnose, a hidden tongue tie, triple feeding, barriers to care and ensuing postpartum mood disruptions, I realized that birthing people and their families deserve better. Humans are not meant to do this in isolation, or even in partnerships.
Part of my current personal journey is actively decolonizing my life, and I feel that restoring supportive community to families is a key part of that. Every time folks come together in collaboration and support, we create strong medicine and restore the connection and strength that our families need to thrive. I'm over the moon to join the team at Journey Midwives to provide Supportive Pregnancy Care and lactation support to the incredible birthing families in our community. This work weaves us back together, and I'm honored to be a thread in this beautiful tapestry of humanity.
Makeda Robinson is our Supportive Pregnancy Care Facilitator and Data/Program Assistant with Journey Midwife Services, in Seattle, WA. She attended North Carolina State University. Makeda is a mother of 7, Active Community Activist, Master Herbalist, Doula, Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, Business Owner and Future Midwife who believes in the power of nature to heal and sustain our communities mind, body and spirit.
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